They're finally off (pics included)...

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#1 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:46 pm

My long-awaited day is finally here! My braces came off this morning! I absolutely LOVE my new smile! There is absolutely no comparison between my new smile and the old one!!! Anyway, you can all check out my journey through pics...

agrillztale.shutterfly.com

I have a great deal of swelling now, but my ortho says this should go away in the coming weeks. If not, he'll do laser contouring. My retainers can be a little uncomfortable at times, but nothing compared to braces! Having to take them out and put them back in definitely makes me think twice about eating

Anyway, let me know what you think

#2 Post by **cybersiren** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:58 pm

Yay!!! Your gums do look a little swollen, But I'm sure that will go down. My dentist always reccomends extra flossing to help with swelling. I like to use crest glide comfort plus. It gets the job done and is very gentle on gums. Good luck!

#3 Post by **SinOnYourLips** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:16 pm

MsTiaLia, congrats!!! Your teeth look awesome and so white too!

I am getting even more excited about my own debanding day too coming up in a week. I don't know what to do with myself to make the time go by faster! Any tips?

Did you get an essix retainer for both? And how many hours a day are you suppose to wear it?

#4 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:29 pm

Hey SinOnYourLips!

Thanks! I still can't wait to get my teeth whitened! My ortho said that I will have to wait at least 6 weeks...after my next appt. My teeth have to do some settling before I can go without my retainers long enough to use the whitening trays. I definitely don't mind the wait. The camera's flash makes them look whiter than they are, but I was by no means disappointed when I looked in the mirror! lol

As for making the time pass, I really just focused on other things. Hung out with friends, did some volunteering, worked a lot, etc...

I got hawley retainers for the top and bottom. I'll be in them 24/7 for the next 6 months or so, I think. After that, I'll wear them from supper to breakfast everyday, then only while sleeping, then a few nights per week. I'm in no hurry though. I want to keep my smile straight as long as I can!

#5 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:31 pm

cybersiren wrote:My dentist always reccomends extra flossing to help with swelling.

I won't mind that at all! I can't BELIEVE how easy flossing is now! I flossed twice today with no problems!!! Yay!!!

#6 Post by **SinOnYourLips** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:55 pm

MsTiaLia, that's so great! Yes I will try to also concetrate on school, work and friends!

Was the debanding painless? I have ceramics on top, I know you had metal so I'll probably have a slightly different experience, but still.

What was your first "naked" meal!?

#7 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Fri Mar 07, 2008 3:24 am

For the most part, the debanding was not painful at all! I had one metal band that did not want to come off and it happened to be on a tooth that had a pretty big filling, so the tooth was pretty sensitive! Everything else popped right out! I know it sounds crazy, but the most painful thing was when one of my ortho's tools hit the corner of my mouth the wrong way while my mouth was WIDE open and broke the skin. That didn't really hurt, but for the rest of my visit, the doc & assistant had on those rubber gloves that continuously rubbed up against that spot!!! Other than that, it was a pretty pleasant experience!

I haven't really done my post braces meal yet. My teeth were actually a little sore a few hours after my appointment, so I took it pretty easy. I did go to Chick-fil-A (my favorite) and ate a chicken sandwich with naked teeth! It was SOOOOOO nice to see food on my teeth and know that I could just run my tongue across them and move all of the debris!!! lol The meal that I'm looking forward to is hot wings! I haven't had chicken with bones in over 2 years, so that will definitely be amazing!

#8 Post by **diande** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:23 pm

hi!

your teeth look great!

i admire that you could so faithfully journal your journey in pics too! lol

can i ask you something? i noticed the rubber band configuration you had on your side teeth? do you know what exactly they were to accomplish being positioned that way?

#9 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:28 pm

Hi Diande,

Thank you for the compliment! I really don't know what those rubber bands were for, but I THINK they had something to do with helping my teeth settle. That picture was after what was supposed to have been my final adjustment, so I think that's what he was trying to do. I'm sorry I don't have a better answer

Maybe some of the others can chime in...

#10 Post by **diande** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:52 am

No problem, that actually told me something! I've been wondering what settling teeth are all about too

#11 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 12:26 pm

Yeah, we should probably say "setting" instead. Have you ever made a cheesecake? You know how it bakes, but then has to sit in the fridge to stiffen and retain it's shape? It is kind of like that. The teeth are where they need to be, but they need to set...at least, that's my understanding